Armed with a do-it-himself philosophy, family pride and a problem-solving approach, Steve Kennedy

has started to climb the ladder.

After his 4th-place finish at the Santee Cooper Bassmaster Elite Series – which was a few weeks after his 5th at the Amistad Elite Series – he moved up 15 spots in the BassFan World Rankings to No. 47. And that was after he began the year ranked No. 104 in the world. Pretty sweet.

He might be ranked even higher if not for his FLW Tour struggles. Alongside his two BASS Top 5s there's some ugliness: a 98th at the Okeechobee FLW, a 14th at Pickwick and a 96th at Beaver Lake.

He's currently 6th in the BASS Angler of the Year (AOY) race, but the success on the BASS side comes with one more potential prize. Unlike the BassFan.com Rookie of the Year (ROY) race, which measures only true rookies from both tours, the BASS ROY race doesn't restrict tour pros. One need only be a BASS tour-level rookie. And Kennedy leads that race.

Big Deal? Yep, because the leader in the BASS ROY race prior to each Bassmaster Major receives a berth in that Major. Kennedy wasn't eligible to fish this year's or next year's Majors through the Elite Series points, since qualification is based on a 3-year rolling average. So his only way in is through the BASS ROY race.

There's two Elite Series events left before the Bassmaster Memorial in mid-May. If he can hang on as BASS ROY leader, he's in for a no-entry-fee crack at $250,000.

But that's only one part of the story of his climb. The rest involves how he feels about it all right now.

Forget Me Yes

Kennedy carries a long list of success stories in his livewell, but he's the first to admit there are some tournaments he'd like to forget.

"In the past I've been inconsistent," he said. "I like to fish for a big bag and I get burned occasionally. I've had a bad day on the last day on too many tournaments lately and that's getting to me.

"Every tournament it's something small. I can think of six tournaments in a row where I could have been in it."

Although inconsistent performances are a disappointment, he noted he tries to learn from them. But he prefers to figure out problems by himself, rather than ask other anglers for help.

"I've made a bunch of mistakes," he said. "I don't get a lot of help – I'm learning on my own. It's amazing the things I'm learning. I'm on water 150 to 200 days a year and I'm still learning. That's one of the things I enjoy.

"I'm a mechanical engineer – that's what my degree is in. There are so many variables involved with this (bass fishing). It's one of most complicated problems I know, but I enjoy figuring the things out."

Two-Tour Dynamics

Kennedy's one of a handful of pros to brave a two-tour schedule this year – 18-regular season events, with the possibility of an additional three Majors and two championships.

He'd never fished BASS at the tour level before this season, and immediately noticed some key differences.

"The biggest difference is the schedule," he said. "The schedule is twice as long. We also hit the lakes at the perfect time and that's been great."

BASS has said many times that its Elite Series is scheduled around the optimal period for angling on a given waterbody, but he wasn't quite prepared for those results.

"I was really surprised at Rayburn," he said. "I caught 27-00 and didn't even get a check. I made the cut at Santee, but I had 39-00. You can't have a bad day. We're hitting them at the right time."

It would be easy to think that the Elite Series, with its $55,000 entry-fee burden, could cause an angler to feel more pressure. But so far he hasn't felt that.

"I don't feel any more pressure," he said. "I'm fishing against a lot of the same guys. We're just out there fishing. I try to do well at all of them. I try to recognize, though, that they're not all going to be good ones.

"(But) driving from one tournament to another is hard. It hurt me a little (at Beaver). But last year we fished 20-some events (including Strens and Opens) and at one point we fished six straight tournaments. This year the most we have is three in a row. So it's actually better than last year. It does affect your performance, there's no doubt, but there are a lot of guys doing it."

Two BASS Goals

The first leg of Kennedy's 2006 schedule was brutal. He has a week for Easter, but that's followed by another tough run of back-to-back events. Right now, he's trying to focus on his goals, which include qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic and winning the BASS ROY race.

And the Classic is an extra-special goal, because it's an important piece of his family history.

"My dad (Van) fished in the Classic in 1982," he said. "He was about as good as you get without going pro. Only five fathers and sons have done that, so I really want to get there.

"And I think I have a real good shot at ROY, but I could have a bad tournament and be out of it."

That "bad tournament" feeling will likely intensify as the Elite Series turns north in June. That's where he struggles. "The only place I'm not real confident is when we go north to fish smallmouth lakes. I'm still learning. The southern lakes are what I'm best at."

Notable

> He began his career in the BFLs, but hit his stride in 2003. That's when he finished 12th in the Southeastern Stren points and won the Kentucky Lake FLW. Also notable was his 1st-place finish in last year's Southeastern Stren points. He qualified for the Elite Series through Bassmaster Open competition.

> Van Kennedy finished 28th in the 1982 Classic.

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